


Until Dawn

by titaniumsansa



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Angst and Humor, Assassination Attempt(s), Attempted Murder, Bisexual Sansa, Blood and Injury, F/F, Femslash February, Fluff and Angst, I blame sunkelles, Past Joffrey Baratheon/Sansa Stark, Sansa-centric, Snow, Survival Horror, she anything counts for femslash feb so have this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2019-01-19
Packaged: 2019-03-18 04:09:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 11,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13673988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/titaniumsansa/pseuds/titaniumsansa
Summary: When Sansa Stark is kidnapped, it's up to Detective Margaery Tyrell and her partner to find her before her time runs out.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sunkelles](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunkelles/gifts).



> AN: I do not own anything.

The sound of the default ringtone wakes Margaery up, eyes open and  looking to her alarm clock. It’s almost 2AM, it better be important.

“Tyrell here,” Margaery answers, waiting to see if it’s work, if it’s family, if it’s just a spam call.

“We need you down here. Joffrey Baratheon’s fiancee has been kidnapped,” her partner says and for some reason, her blood runs cold. Sansa Stark has been all over the news, looking poised, perfect-more like a model or princess out of a fairytale on Joffrey Baratheon’s arm. He’s supposed to run for office soon, he and Sansa have been working on campaigns and publicity. It’s hard to think about the perfectly composed redhead she’s seen everywhere for the last few weeks suddenly just being-gone.

“Text me the address,” Margaery says and ends the call. Her mind runs wild with possibilities, maybe she was kidnapped for a ransom, maybe it’s someone with a personal vendetta against Joffrey-she’s never heard anyone say anything rude about Sansa Stark. Even before she was in the news for dating Joffrey, she made her own name supporting animal shelters, and being a very kind and giving person. Margaery’s pretty good judge of character, or at least she likes to think so, and all of that stuff Stark did-it was good PR. Sansa Stark didn’t seem like the kind of person to do something because someone is watching-she seems like a genuinely good person-unlike her fiance.

It takes her a minute to get dressed, despite her brain dashing from one thought to another, it takes her hands a moment to catch up. Time is of the essence after all, and she can’t help but think of Sansa Stark and worry for her.

* * *

 

“I didn’t get home until 1. I was at a party. You can ask anyone,” Joffrey Baratheon insists to Margaery’s partner. Margaery resists the urge to roll her eyes at him, but it’s odd that he’s already thinking of his alibi. The fact he’s been so insistent on his alibi makes her suspicious but despite personal dislike, Margaery keeps a cool head.

“It’s just you two? No one else lives here? No pets or guests?” Margaery asks. Joffrey narrows his eyes at her. He seems quick to anger and she can’t help but wonder if he was ever quick to anger with Sansa. Questions seem to drag on and on, and as the night grows colder, Margaery’s concern for the missing woman grows and grows.


	2. Chapter 2

Sansa blinks a few times before she understands what she’s seeing. She coughs, pain racing through her head as she sees her breath. There’s snow covering everything, the ground, her, the trees-there are trees. A few more blinks and she sees the details in the trees, sees the gate in front of her- _ Blackwood Pines. _ Blackwood Pines-the name sounds familiar but she can’t place it. Her stomach feels wet and she gasps as she tries to sit up. She’s bleeding, but the cuts are just skin deep, she’s pretty sure as she exposes her shirt to the frozen air. It stings. It hurts, the pain races through her like fire for a minute and it’s so hard to think and to remember to breathe. It’s not the worst pain she’s been in though, so she puts her shirt back down, and tries to get up and think. 

The last thing she remembers was trying to leave to join Joffrey at the party-she was-she was in a cocktail dress. She’s wearing jeans, boots, and a hoodie-not hers. The hoodie is oversized, black, and warm. She’s not like girls from the South-like her Joffrey or the people in their “social circle” in King’s Landing. She’s from the North, this isn’t cold enough to kill her, stop her, or slow her down much. Sansa can’t remember much-but she remembers the name Blackwood Pines. It’s an empty property-she remembers that. It’s a mountain-it’s a mountain someone owns and she can’t remember who. 

Sansa can’t remember what happened, if she changed into these clothes or if someone stripped her out of her favorite dress and heels-the thought of that makes her skin crawl. She doesn’t know quite where it is, but she knows it’s below freezing, and that given the feel of the air-she’s somewhat up the mountain. Going down would be a good idea if she knew she could get away from the mountain, but-she’s bleeding and she knows there’s probably a building here. She takes one step, and then another, and follows the path. It has to lead to something.

This could be a trap, but she knows trying to go down the mountain could be a trap too. Maybe one of Joffrey’s political rivals kidnapped her. That doesn’t explain why the name of this place rings a bell though, a bell she can’t name yet.

It takes about five minutes of walking to get to another gate. The stone walls are high, but when she pushes the gate with her elbow, it creaks open. This entire thing is completely unsettling, but she knows she’s not going to just accept freezing to death. She’s a Stark, that would put hundreds of years of Starks to shame if the cold defeated her. Still, she can’t help but miss Lady horribly in this weather, and she hopes Lady is fine.

There’s two electric lights nearby, casting eerie shadows of the trees in the snow. Light means electricity which means not freezing to death, so she follows the path of the lights, dispersed between the high rocks and the trees to find a little building. It almost looks like a house with a porch. There’s a lack of trees by the building that lets her see more of the mountain, it looks like there’s a fire watch tower in the distance with a blinking red light, an endless sea of trees, and more mountain. Sansa looks around the quiet structure, there’s barely any noise other than her own breathing. She’d love to see another person. There’s a few benches on the porch, there’s enough light to see that and the door. 

She can’t help but feel unnerved, it’s too quiet, and she feels almost like she’s being watched. Any camera out in the woods would probably be frozen and it seems like there isn’t another human for miles. Alone. She’s completely and utterly alone, and she’d kill to have her phone right now. Calling for help would be nice, along with knowing the time, her location, and figuring out how cold it is outside. The thought of being utterly alone in this strange place, so completely and utterly alone, is freeing and horrifying all at once.

The door to the building is unlocked and she slips inside, hoping it’s not a trap. There are a few snowboards by the door with a light layer of dust on them, and a panel of buttons close by worth investigating.

_ Call cable car _ one of the neat labels under the buttons says and Sansa’s eyes widen. She immediately hits the button, and waits.


	3. Arya

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arya talks to Margaery and her partner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mira is named after the GoT game character, Mira Forrester but that's really all they have in common, I'm planning on updating with two chapter chunks, Margaery's view and then Sansa's, each time I post.

“Joffrey gave me her sister’s number and I got us good coffee. It’s going to be a long night,” Mira says and Margaery smiles at her as she hands her hot coffee. Mira’s just a great partner like that, she couldn’t ask for someone better. They’re always buying coffee and food, because they’re always here. One of the great thing about working where they do-there’s always hot coffee. It’s not good coffee, but there’s always coffee. Plus some of the best takeout places are less than a block away. Most of the precinct is rushing around or buried in paperwork. Margaery knows a truly alarming amount of crappy coffee will be made tonight.

“Arya Stark. That’s going to be a hell of a talk, if she’ll agree to even meet us,” Margaery muses. Mira frowns.

“Her sister is missing. You think she’d want to talk to us, every piece of information helps,” Mira sighs. Margaery grimaces slightly as the coffee starts to burn her hand. 

“It’s a lot to take in. Some people shut down, some people do everything they can to help, it’s just human nature,” Margaery reminds her and Mira nods as she dials the number. The first forty eight hours are the most important when dealing with a missing person, and Arya Stark picks up on the second ring. Digging into people’s personal lives, trying to figure out what happened, and where they might be-it’s never fun. Mira talks to Arya Stark as Margaery does some digital digging for a few minutes. 

Sansa’s instagram is flawless, exactly what she expected. Pictures of her family, pictures of pretty places, a dog, but it seems like the only pictures she isn’t genuinely smiling or laughing in have Joffrey. There’s one picture where she looks uncomfortable as possible next to Cersei Lannister, not that Margaery can blame her.

“Great. We will meet you at that address. Thank you,” Mira says and Margaery looks up from her computer.

“We’re meeting her at her apartment, it’s not far from here,” Mira grins and Margaery grins back for a moment, there’s good news.

* * *

 

“Can I get you anything? Coffee? Tea? Water?” Arya asks and they shake their heads. She doesn’t seem to know her way around the apartment, and she doesn’t quite fit in, with her short messy hair, leather jacket and boots. It clicks suddenly as Margaery hears a low whine.

“This is Sansa’s apartment,” Margaery says aloud and Arya nods.

“She was getting ready at Joffrey’s. She asked me to look after Lady. Everyone thinks they live together, but Sansa has her own place. She needs her own space and he doesn’t like Lady,” Arya says and Mira raises an eyebrow.

“Why doesn’t he like Lady?” Margaery asks, and Lady walks over to her, nudging her empty hand with her nose. Margaery pets her but keeps her eyes on Arya. Arya sighs at the question, but she answers it anyway.

“Really, he just doesn’t like Nymeria, my dog. A few years ago, Joffrey tried to hurt one of my friends. I punched him and Nymeria bit him. Cersei tried to have our dogs put down, and almost got into a legal battle. There was a tape that prove he was hurting my friend-in return for us keeping that to ourselves, she dropped the case. Cersei’s always wanted her son to run for office like his dad did,” Arya sighs.

“But Sansa continued dating Joffrey after that?” Margaery asks. Arya sighs and Lady butts Margaery’s hand. Margaery resumes petting her as Arya speaks again.

“Yeah. We were kids and I don’t think we really understood how bad that could have been. That kid thanked me, and then moved. He never talked to us or the Lannisters again. If we weren’t there-I think Joffrey would have tried to kill him. He’s violent when he’s angry. He would break things when he was upset at her or anything else. Now I think it’s just-words. I don’t think she could ever leave Joffrey-he’d have to break up with her. The Lannisters are powerful, and they have an image-just like we do,” Arya says and Mira leans forward.

“Do you think Joffrey did something?” Mira asks carefully and Arya nods.

“If he didn’t, his mother did. Or some of his people. I don’t gain anything by lying to you. My sister is missing and I want you to find her. If she’s not dead already, he’s hired someone to kill her,” Arya says and Margaery resists the urge to shiver at the thought. Sansa Stark, kind and loved by all, just dead-the thought is too unsettling. 

“Do you have any evidence that he’s abusive?” Mira asks and Arya nods.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sansa follows the trail.

The cable car comes after what seems like an eternity. It’s so loud in the silence that Sansa’s on edge the entire time she’s waiting for it, someone has to hear that, there’s no way she’s alone on this freaking mountain. Mountain-it almost jogs something but she just gets in the cable car instead, and hits the button to run it back up the mountain. The frost on the windows isn’t comforting like it would be if she was home at Winterfell-it’s just a reminder of how cold it is. She can see the lights of the cable car station slowly get smaller and smaller as the cable car creaks and groans its way up the mountain.

There’s a blinking red light where the end of the cable ends, and she wonders if anyone’s waiting for her at the top. Most cable cars are run by two sets of people-people at the bottom station and the station at the top. There’s barely any lights on at the station, and the car seems to stop creaking just as the doors open a few inches as it stops at the station. 

“Please open, don’t get stuck here,” Sansa mutters to the doors, carefully covering her hands with the oversized hoodie sleeves before she tries to pry the doors open. They groan like Bran or Arya being told they have to get out of bed before noon-long and loud. Sansa prays to the Seven that no one is at the station, waiting for her, that no one’s here. 

She loves people, she really does, but she’s not sure she could trust anyone on this mountain. Just the thought of someone else being nearby has her on edge, someone cut her, someone changed her clothes, someone had to have dropped her off here. There’s no way she did this, she would have remembered changing, would have remembered driving or calling someone to get her up here-wherever here  _ is. _

_ Keep moving _ , Sansa thinks to herself and looks around. It’s still snowing, there’s probably going to be another foot of snow on the ground when morning rolls around. She’d kill for a watch, just to know how long it’ll be until it’s not so dark. The path to the tower or whatever else is up here-it’s fenced in, giving some illusion of safety and civilization.

There’s no one around, at least not that she’s aware of, so she follows the fenced in path, through the snow. There aren’t any other footprints up here, there weren’t footprints down where she was either, but that doesn’t mean much. It’s still snowing, and keeping all of these lights on must be  _ very _ expensive-there’s no point in having them all on if no one’s here.

There’s a covered bridge with a light that she slowly walks through, taking slow and quiet steps, she keeps thinking someone’s going to just jump out. She can imagine how she’d scream, how it’d be the loudest thing for miles and that still wouldn’t matter, because no one else would hear it. She has Northern blood, she was raised in the snow, but she’s not going to die in it. Not now, not here, and not by whoever did this to her. A rush of determination floods her body and she feels warm with the feeling of it. 

It’s hard to know how much time has passed, but the ground starts to get steeper the longer she walks, and she sees her first set of stairs. The wood is icy but she and ice aren’t strangers. After a few more sets of stairs, she sees a structure-a sprawling, stone and wood lodge.

None of the lights are on, and there’s still no other footprints in the snow, but she reminds herself that that doesn’t mean anything. Sansa takes a deep breath and looks around before she walks up the last flight of stairs, up to the front door. There’s nothing on the porch, no mat, no potted plant, nowhere to hide a key. 

To her surprise, when she twists the door knob, it opens. 


	5. Arya

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually lost this story for a few months, when I was doing some digital cleaning, I found it again! I also found the author's note I thought I published that mentions that Sansa and Margaery's chapters aren't happening at the same time which doesn't really change the story unless you try to map out a schedule of it like I did.

They've seen the pictures, the screenshots of texts, the bruises, and all of the evidence Arya has. It'll take a while to process it. Sansa has a journal full of records. It almost reminds Margaery of Gone Girl, but there's actual proof. In her personal opinion, the only thing Sansa stands to gain from ending her relationship with Joffrey is happiness. They'll look at every angle though, that's why she made detective a year ago, Margaery eliminates every possibility and does her best.  
“Do you have any idea where he could have taken her? Or where she is?” Margaery asks. Arya sighs and Lady looks over at her.  
"I've tried to avoid Joffrey and the rest of his family since my sister got involved with them. But maybe he has her at Casterly Rock or someplace they own. If they just wanted her dead, they could have made it look like an accident or an assassination. For whatever reason, they took her alive, and it's obviously not for a ransom. They don't need money. Cersei doesn't like my sister, and I don't think she wants them to get married. I don't either, but that's because their family is fucked up, and you've seen the pictures. Even if she went to the police with enough evidence to send him to any of the seven hells and back, they'd still find a way to ruin her. If there's a protection order put on her, then he'll harass her using other people. He's good at finding loopholes. And so are his lawyers," Arya informs them.

  
"Are you the only one who knows Joffrey is abusive? You have all of this evidence and your parents haven't-" Mira begins. Arya shakes her head.  
"I think Robb and Jon would actually hurt Joffrey. Bran and Rickon are too young to be told and my parents would confront the Lannisters and probably make it worse for her. She asked me to keep her secret and I did. But now that she's missing and possibly-" Arya trails off. She can't complete the thought, even if the detectives want her to. Instead of pointing out the flaws in her logic, they just nod and one of them yawns.

  
It's late, Arya knows she needs to send the cops away before she falls asleep and they probably need to go back to their bustling station or something. She pictures leaving the lights on and taking Lady home with her as the detectives talk to each other, she's not paying attention. The first 48 hours are important, but Arya feels like she could just sleep through them as she stifles a yawn.  
"You should get some sleep. Thank you for talking with us, we'll be in touch," Margaery smiles. Arya wonders how long she's been up, even though the detective looks gorgeous exhausted. Arya before she comes up with a polite response. She watches them leave with Lady before she looks for Lady's food, and leash. Lady whines at her as she opens the door.  
"I know. I want to wait for her to come home too, but for now, we're going to my house and you'll see Nymeria. The cops will find her, that's their job," Arya says. She's not sure if she's trying to reassure herself or Lady, but they leave a moment later with the door locked and the lights on. The lights are on and no one's home and there's something that makes her watch the light from the empty apartment before she finally puts the car in drive. Lady just sighs, and she wonders how the rest of their family is doing.


	6. Map

There’s barely any light in the entire building-most of it is coming from the light above the open door. She hates feeling on edge like this, but as she looks around, she can’t hear anyone, can’t see anyone. There’s the howl of the wind and snow outside, but there isn’t anything else to experience, it doesn’t smell like anything other than cold dust, doesn’t look like the home of a killer or worse. All of the windows have blinds with just big enough slits that someone outside could see if she turned on the light.

  
The thought of that makes her shiver, she doesn’t know the area well enough to know how long it will take for the frigid snow to cover her tracks. Someone could easily follow her here from the footprints, right into this dark, sprawling house. She’d love to turn on the light and go through the house much quicker than she is, it already seems like her exploration has taken an age. Though it is a massive house and whoever owns it probably has enough money to pay for the electric bill, it’s still not worth the risk of being seen. She can’t shake the feeling that something is horribly wrong, and that she needs to avoid being seen. It’s a gut instinct she can’t ignore, not that she would want to. She still stands by the doorway and waits for another minute, if she needs to run, she probably could. No one appears, not outside, not inside. A part of her brain whispers, there's no one there. At least, that she can see. It's not a reassuring thought.

  
She remembers hearing her father tell her that there was nothing in the dark that couldn’t be seen by the light. Arya would always retort that if there was light on, they could see whatever was in the dark. She can’t help but think how right her sister was then, and wonder how she’s doing now. Arya never liked Joffrey, from the moment she met him, and her little sister always trusted her instincts. Sansa wishes she had listened to her in the beginning, when it was still escapable, a path she could walk away from. Instead of being a path from one point to another, it's a mess, it's like being stranded on a space station, light years away, with almost no means of escape. Now, it's going to be several steps, and while she can probably do it on her own, she's still going to need help or luck of some kind. As she thinks about it, she realizes that that applies to her relationship with Joffrey and her current situation. At least there's gravity down here.

  
As she takes a breath, she closes the door as quietly as she can, and looks around. There’s cardboard boxes scattered around and furniture covered by sheets. There’s nothing big enough for someone to hide behind, nothing moving, and she thankfully can’t hear anyone else breathing. She catches a reflection of herself and jerks, letting out a quiet exhale as she walks to the mirror.   
There’s dried blood by her hairline, dried and stiff now. For some reason, she almost didn't recognize herself and she wants to say it's the dusty mirror. It might be the reassuring smile she gives herself or the confidence in her posture. She hasn't felt confident lately, surrounded by the Lannisters, politicians, and liars. It's odd to feel sure of herself and her instincts here, in this house silent enough to be a graveyard, but she does. She's survived this far, she found this house, and she's never been a quitter. Sansa knows she's going to survive whatever else this place wants to throw away at her, she's going to go home, see Lady, hug Arya, and figure out a way to break up with Joffrey, at any cost.

  
There’s a table under the mirror, and by the dust, there used to be pictures on the table. Pictures would have been a huge help for her to figure out where she is, who owns the house, or how she’s connected to all of this. The house is a contradiction-there’s fresh fruit on the kitchen island, like someone lives there, but the furniture and dust point to vacancy. Maybe they were called away-or someone knew she was coming. Whoever has access to the chalet-style mansion has terrible taste in alcohol, she knows that much. There are several bottles of Jeremiah Cragg that are empty and empty beer bottles of brands she’d never touch.

  
Just because the level she’s on is empty doesn’t mean much-there could be someone waiting in the silent dark for her. She tried her best to not leave wet footprints, but she doesn’t want to make too much noise either. There isn’t anything in the rooms on the main level other than a set of double doors she wants to explore later. The kitchen seems to have enough promise though, if she can find a bag she might take some food and supplies. The house isn’t very warm, but she can’t see her breath, so it’s still better than being outside. There's a massive fireplace in the dusty living room, but there's no wood. Not that lighting a giant fire and staying would be a good idea. Part of her thinks that she should just leave the house and explore the rest of the mountain, but the idea of grabbing even just a few supplies before she does wins out.

  
After another moment of thought, she carefully makes her way up the stairs, one slow step at a time. The stairs don’t make any noise at supporting her weight, and she wonders how new the house is. It makes its own cacophony of noises, settling from the cold, with machines, and heat running. The first room she sees on the top floor is a bathroom. Weak light pours into the room from the open blinds, but with the height of the house, it's unlikely anyone can see her. They'd have to be watching from the trees covered in snow, or be angled a certain distance from the house to see. There's not much in the room that stands out other than the dank smell. There's a sinister but aged smell of something rotting by the bathroom sink, and she doesn't dare open any of the drawers or cabinets in the room.

  
There are nine bedrooms upstairs. It must have been custom built to house a big family, she thinks, Winterfell has ten bedrooms. Most of the rooms are empty, nothing more than dust, covered furniture, and closed blinds. It's not as reassuring as she'd like for it to be. The last two rooms are connected by a door in the middle, vibrant, and untouched. The first has large butterfly decorations strategically placed through the room, on different walls, next to posters, and furniture. There is a clock on the wall, but it's frozen in place. The desk has a picture of twins on it, two teenage brunettes, one with glasses and one without. Sansa recognizes them, she knows she does, their dark eyes seem so familiar to her, but like the house, she can't place them.

There's another picture that has the twins with a boy who looks like he could be an older brother who's posed next to them with a goofy grin on his face. The note on the back has a date, the name of the photographer, Sam Giddings, and a cute message about the Washington siblings and a smiley face. There are a few books, a pair of earrings, more doodles, and a sticky note that makes her pause. The sticky note is stuck to a newspaper article-talking about how a pair of local twins are still missing at the time it was printed. Sansa skims the article. Hannah and Beth Washington have been missing for months and their family, their parents, and older brother Josh, want them to come home. The note and article were hidden by the butterfly designs, but the loopy cursive breaks her heart. It looks like a teenager's scrawl, like Arya's messy notes she'd leave on the fridge when they were in high school. Like Bran and Rickon's current handwriting, she thinks, and wonders how they are. There are more butterfly doodles underneath it, a few doodles that say **_Hannah + M_ _i_ _ke_** in hearts, but the dust makes her draw conclusions. This house does not seem like a place for happy endings.  
 _Dear Hannah and Beth,_  
 _I'm sorry I couldn't find you. It's been a year. I'll be joining you, wherever you are, soon._  
 _Love,_  
 _Josh_

Still, she looks through the papers and finds a rough map with keys taped to it. It's not thorough, but it's a map of the mountain, like if she had called Arya and tried to explain what the map at the cable car station looked like. There's a cabin not too far from here, that seems like a safe place to go. Maybe it will be safer.

Sansa doesn't want to look very hard at either of the last two bedrooms after seeing that note, but she pockets the rough map and keys. Beth's room has more posters but it's almost identical to her twin's. There's a thick, gray parka that Sansa finds in the walk-in closet. It's stealing, but it doesn't seem like anyone's going to miss it. There are four other long coats almost exactly like it in the closet anyway. She trades the black hoodie for a few thermal shirts, a scarf, gloves, and a backpack.

Maybe she can take a few things from downstairs before she leaves and goes to the cabin. There aren't any phones here, not that she really expected there to be. Even if there is a phone, she's not sure she could actually get the lump out of her throat so she could speak, or that she'd let herself make that much noise in this unnerving place. Maybe when she gets back to civilization, she'll bother her parents about having a landline when she gets one. Sansa's not sure if that'll be before or after she gets a watch. She'll figure it out later, she thinks.

 


	7. safe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Midterms and studying have been killing my writing time! I am so sorry for the wait but school comes first.

It's not hard to get Lady out of the car, Sansa trained her well. Lady still looks at her with confusion though, like the other rare times Sansa's asked her to take care of Lady. Arya walks to the door and Lady looks back to her car and whines.

  
"I know. I miss her too," Arya says. The exhaustion is starting to hit her as she gets her door open. She double checks to make sure her car is locked before letting Lady in and turning on the lights. Lady finds Nymeria immediately, curled up on Arya's bed. Arya locks her doors and double checks her apartment. There's not a chance in hell anyone got in or did something while Nymeria was there, but Sansa is still missing. A chill runs down her spine as Arya thinks about the fact whoever took her sister probably knew about Lady, and waited until she left her apartment. Either they knew about Lady or they got lucky in avoiding her. If someone had tried to hurt Sansa in front of Lady-she would have taken a big bloody bite out of them.

  
Arya changes back into her pajamas and reflects on what's happened in a few hours. She leaves the light in the living room on, and turns her notifications as loud as they can go. If those cops find anything or if something happens, she wants to wake up for it. She's let her siblings and parents know what's going on, but it's also the middle of the night. There will be more questions and calls and talking in the morning, when everyone's awake enough to read their texts and understand what happened.

  
After she brushes her teeth, she manages to get back into bed. Thankfully, it has enough room for her to get in-direwolves are bed hogs. Lady and Nymeria are curled up next to each other, and it reminds Arya of how keenly aware she's been of Sansa in the last few years. With heavy eyes, she falls asleep with the knowledge that she's not alone, she has Lady and Nymeria's comforting, watchful eyes.


	8. safety is an illusion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reviews make for faster updates, just sayin :)

According to the map, the easiest route to the cabin is a direct one. There's a fence that runs behind the house and continues down a path. Hopefully, it's the same on the map and leads to the cabin. Sansa can't help but wonder why a map and keys were in one of the only furnished bedrooms, it seemed deliberate. Judging by the dust it had been a while since anyone had cleaned that house, but there wasn't dust on the map or note. Staying there wouldn't have been a good idea, and she can't help but think of how alone she is as she begins to follow the path. There are still a few electric lights, illuminating the snow in the pitch dark. The thought that someone might have planted that map and key sends a shiver down her spine, and she freezes along the path. Something rustles in the trees and the thought of another living thing makes her stop in her tracks. There's a soft hoot, and she sees an owl take flight in front of her, too far away to identify anything else about it. She lets out a long breath that she can see in the air.

  
Thank the Seven. It was just an owl. Snow is still falling, thick, fat flakes fall down and hit her as she remembers she can move again. Putting distance between her and the house still seems like a good idea, one she can't shake. After a few minutes of following the lights along the path, there's a bridge, covered in snow like everything else. Sansa debates putting a gloved hand on the rail for support, the bridge could be icy, but someone will see it, if someone's here and they're looking.

  
Of course, someone would also see her footprints, if the snow doesn't fill the indents she leaves-so she puts her hand on the rail. The bridge isn't slick enough to worry her, but she does see the creek below, water moving under the ice sheet. It's not cold enough for it to be frozen solid, but it'd still be unpleasant to fall in. A quick way to freeze to death. She shakes the thought and keeps walking. After the bridge, the electric lights are more scattered, father and farther apart. The fence continues though, and she keeps following that to the next light. There's nothing but trees on either side of her and it doesn't look like there's much else to see or explore away from the path. Getting lost in unfamiliar woods would be a very, very dangerous idea right now. Her justification for that thought is strengthened when she sees faded police tape on a few trees, with a few ripped edges. It's faded, like it's been frozen repeatedly and torn apart by wind.

  
Those twins went missing a while ago based on the article and they got lost on this mountain. It makes her wonder if the twins knew the mountain well enough to know that there was at least a cabin, their house, the fire watchtower, and she thought she had seen another structure on the map as well. The path leads up two flights of snowy stairs, and she's happy to be on higher ground. The path could take an hour for all she knows, but eventually, there's a fork in the path. There's a fallen tree that blocks the way the path is actually supposed to go on the left fork, but she pulls about the map to look. There's a tunnel marked on the map about where she thinks she is, so she follows the right fork to investigate. There's a few boards blocking the way, and as she shifts to let more light come into the tunnel, it drops at least six feet to go down, into the tunnel. There's no light here, and there is light on the path-and light from the moon. She'd take the more lit path any day, plus, something about the tunnel makes her want to shiver, and not from the cold.

  
Sansa walks back to the fallen tree, and pushes herself up and over it. The sight in front of her is reassuring, an electric light, and the fence continues on, up more manmade stairs rising with the slope. Eventually, the stairs stop and she welcomes the sight of even ground. There's a few benches by the other side of the fence overlooking a steep drop, and she wonders just who built this place. Who decided that was the perfect place to take in the majesty of the mountain? There's more stairs heading down the slope, over a bridge, and she stays on the path. She feels like she's living a song kids would sing about exploring a mountain, on the path to the cable car, up to the house she goes, to the path to the cabin, and not in the spooky mine, over the creeks and through the trees to the cabin she'll hopefully see. The thought makes her shake her head, but there's not much else to think about. Worrying about things back home won't make her time here pass any quicker. There's nothing else to do but to think and she can't help where her brain wanders without distractions.

Sansa remembers her parents lecturing about the dangers of the cold, safety, and what to do if they got lost. That was in Winterfell though, home territory, and Sansa never worried about the possibility of being too lost to find her way back. She wishes she had a cell phone or that she had checked that house more thoroughly, but not enough to have ventured into any of the other rooms or the basement. There's another bridge next to a waterfall, the water underneath, lazily flowing under partially frozen water. It's gorgeous, and it's the kind of thing that makes her hands itch for a phone again. It's stunning, the kind of shot that would make the covers of nature magazines and be used as digital wallpaper by people all over. Falling in could cause shock and death though, or hypothermia if she couldn't get warm again. Sansa shivers and walks across the bridge quickly. Each body of running water makes her worry more about the wooden bridges she's been walking on and how old they are.

  
Her phone wallpaper is a picture of her with Arya and Robb-he visited a few weeks ago and she insisted on a selfie. Someone has to know she's missing by now. Part of her memory is slowly coming back-she remembers she was locking her door when it all went black. Whoever took her knew she had Lady and didn't want to take that chance. It was late, it's unlikely her neighbors saw anything or heard something. Joffrey has to know she's missing. She was supposed to show up at the party. There are a lot of things she was supposed to do.  
If someone noticed she wasn't there, they might have checked in on her, and noticed she wasn't home. They might have taken her car though, to make it look like she left, and moved her phone so they couldn't just track her down. Maybe Arya has Lady. That's the best outcome she could hope for, Nymeria loves Lady, and Arya will be safe. Maybe the cabin will have a landline and she'll risk calling Arya. If the cabin doesn't, she'll try the fire watch tower. People have to communicate the possibility of fire somehow-in a place this big, screaming wouldn't exactly work.

  
The cabin comes into view a few minutes after she gets lost in her thoughts, and it almost matches the lodge. There's no stone on the outside, just a large porch, and wood logs on the outside. She waits outside it for a moment, still and waiting. There's no movement inside from what she can tell and no heat. Heat isn't an issue with the layers she has, but she wonders how long she can last. If someone meant to drop her off and have her bleed to death in the snow, they didn't cut deep enough, if they wanted her to freeze to death, that hasn't happened yet, and if they wanted her to starve to death-that might take a few days.

The reality of that thought is sobering, if she doesn't get help, she'll be stuck here. Logically, she knows that she could sleep in the cabin if it feels safe enough, trek back down past the lodge and back to the cable car in the morning. The only problem with that is that there might not be anything to find at the bottom of this mountain. There might not be anyone else for miles, and she doesn't have any way to know that. Blackwood Pines. Blackwood Pines. Blackwood Pines. Maybe she read the name when she read an article about the missing twins. She thinks of the police tape still on a few trees and knows that no one will even look here if she doesn't get help. Communication has to be her first priority. If she can call Arya or even the local police, someone will find her, and she'll be okay. She rethinks that, either the police or Arya find her. She's not sure she'd trust anyone else claiming to help-she still doesn't know where she is, who did this to her, and what they wanted to happen.

  
If this was about ransom, she'd be tied up and recorded. If this was strictly about murder, she'd be dead or dying. That thought makes her think of her stomach, and maybe cleaning out the cuts when she's safer. The cuts were't deep enough to kill and she has to wonder who did that to her. It reminds her of hunters trying to hurt an animal to slow it down so they can kill it. She's not a doe, she's a direwolf, and she knows she's done pretending she isn't.  
There's four keys on the silver key ring in her pocket and the second one opens the door. It's dark inside, of course, there's uncovered furniture, of course, and there's no one in the living room, of course-she tries to tell herself. It takes her longer than she'd care to admit to shut the front door and lock it behind her.  
There's a couch, a dusty looking fireplace with a few logs and a kitchenette straight ahead. A brief sweep past that reveals a small bedroom that's minimalistic, bathroom and a rustic looking bedroom. Nothing suspect in either, so she heads back to the living room, moonlight coming through the slanted blinds. Sansa shrugs off her borrowed backpack and looks through the supplies she grabbed from the lodge. The hunger hits her like a wave. She's been walking around for what feels like hours and dinner was hours ago. The first thing her hand touches is a granola bar and she rips the package open. It's gone before she realizes it. Thinking seems easier after she gets fuel into her system. She looks around the cabin again.

  
The paranoid part of her brain that's been making most of her decisions decides to make sure nothing's amiss here. It still seems like that map and those keys were planted. Someone wanted her to find them.  
There's not much of anything in the kitchen other than a few cans and dust. The bathroom is mostly clean but dusty with a few spider webs. The bedroom looks too clean in comparison, and it makes her wonder. The sheets smell like they've been washed recently, and there's a note on the nightstand she missed.

 

 _Dear Sansa,_  
_I hope you like the cabin. I should be there at about_ 3 am _. I left you a clock to keep time._

 

Panic slams into her like a train, she doesn't recognize the handwriting and if the clock is accurate, she only has 20 minutes to run. She grabs the backpack, the keys, and the clock, and runs back out into the snowy night.


	9. Mira and Margaery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I'm posting chapters nine and ten together, and then I'm posting eleven and twelve. I haven't updated in months but not for lack of trying, and I didn't want to leave yall on a cliffhanger, I've been trying to get these 4 chapters out for what feels like FOREVER.

Margaery and Mira stay in their squad car longer than they need to. They've both had too much coffee to go back to sleep. Night shift is working their own cases, but King's Landing's police force isn't very organized or clear-cut on the best of days. It's a big city, full of corrupt cops and crooked politicians. Their precinct isn't the only exception, but Margaery's still thankful the case landed on their desks. A lot of missing person cases don't take priority. It's sad but it's true, it's not uncommon for people to turn up or make themselves disappear. Still, the yearly numbers make her wish there was something they could do about it on a larger scale.

  
If foul play hadn't been implied, if Sansa Stark wasn't a high profile politician's fiancee, if her sister hadn't been so insistent, this case might have never been brought to light. Or it would have been reported too late, file moved to the bottom of a pile somewhere and eventually into the cold case files. Sansa Stark wouldn't have a chance with all of those factors, but she's here, and Mira is here and they're going to do whatever they can to bring her home and get answers. It's odd that they're the only two on the case, surely Cersei Lannister with all of her money and political sway could buy an entire squad if she really wanted her future daughter-in-law found. There's a good chance Joffrey and Cersei Lannister are behind this though. Margaery is almost thankful it's just her and Mira with this, they don't have to worry about others shooting them in the back. If there's a lead, they shouldn't hold their breaths for backup from anywhere but their station. It's worth voicing, but she and Mira have other things to talk about too.

  
Mira fiddles with the heat settings in the squad car, making it even hotter. With the tech and guns they keep in the cars, they have rules on how warm the cars need to be in winter but Mira always wants it warmer than that. While she's thinking about equipment, Margaery could easily take the shotgun out of its locked resting place between the seats while driving, Mera could grab the other long gun and lean out the window and shoot too. The thought comes and goes, but this is a high profile case and while they don't have car chases that intense usually, it's always a possibility. While they don't have to wear their vests all the time while on shift, Margaery always does, it'd be stupid not to. On top of that, the weight is familiar, and the bulk helps her stay warm. It's not too cold outside, but Mira always likes it warm in the squad cars, and she's always cold, even with her vest on plus her jacket especially at night. There are a lot of times where Margaery's been thankful to land Mira as a partner. They're similar enough to get on well but different enough to get different angles and ideas about cases.

  
Mira's a great driver, which everyone in the station should be, they both really enjoyed their emergency driving courses. They have similar tastes in food, humor, and can both go from laughing hysterically to ready to go, serious as a heart attack in seconds. Mira's never been afraid to just share a comfortable silence with her, either. Margaery's last partner always felt the need to fill the silence, even on stakeouts. It got irritating, especially since they usually work in 12-hour shifts. This case is unique in more ways than one, hours aren't the biggest priority here.  
"Are you going to try and go back to sleep?" Mira asks. The radio's loud for a moment and they listen to a call for a second before Margaery responds. Someone else is closer and answered the call already. Even if Margaery wanted to help on that call, she's not sure what Mira wants to do. There's no point in dragging a half-asleep partner to an active call.

  
"I think I'm going to stay up and try to work the case. Too wired to sleep just yet. What about you?" Margaery wonders. She got some sleep at least, but she didn't even ask Mira what she was doing when she got the call either.  
"Me too. But I could really go for some food. Not sure if it'd be second dinner or breakfast," Mira jokes. Margaery's stomach growls in agreement. They have time to work on the case, but they can't do that on empty stomachs. Coffee would help too.

  
There's a few places that are still open at this point, they'll grab food and work the case till someone tells them to go home. Mira throws out suggestions as she starts the car. Margaery's mind still isn't completely on food. Maybe in the morning, they'll check on Arya Stark too, just to be sure someone isn't going after the entire Stark family. It wouldn't be a bad idea to have that get sent to relevant stations since most of the Starks stay up north.


	10. Fire Watch

Sansa walks with her lungs burning in her chest to the direction of the fire watch tower. She always picks flight over fight, not that she thinks about it as her feet move as fast as they can. If her brain wasn't too busy panicking and running on adrenaline, she would be thinking about how much snow it would take to cover her tracks. Math isn't something she can do when her legs are screaming along with her lungs and heart and she doesn't how much snow is falling per hour to try to calculate that anyway. The fluffy snow falling is still a welcome constant, though. There's too much snow to run effectively, and she can't help but worry about it, on top of everything else.

  
There's not a set path to the fire watch tower, the lights are farther and farther apart before it's just endless woods. She must have taken a wrong turn, nothing looks familiar. She stops to catch her breath and try to think. She keeps walking through the trees in a straight line, she'll have to run into light or building eventually.

  
It's not a comforting thought, but if there's only one way to and from the cabin and she's not on that path, whoever left that note won't find her. Still, she thinks she can see a building in the distance after a while and she stops to catch her breath. It's below her, but she's pretty sure she can climb down the pile of rocks a few feet away from her to get down to check out the building in person. It's too far to jump down and while she'd love to have proper climbing gear or a compass, she's dealing with what she has.

  
Still, she lowers herself down, gingerly trying to grip icy rocks with her gloves, careful with her footing, trying to feel through the thick boots what she can use as footholds. Slowly but surely, she makes it to the ground, thankful that she didn't fall. It'd be painful, but she might also scream, and alert whoever left that note to her whereabouts. There's a few stone walls and a gate that she can see through. It looks like a courtyard, she can see a fountain encased in ice, a few young trees, and not much else of the building. Out of habit, she puts her hands in the parka pockets, and her fingers wrap around a rectangle. It's a lighter and by some miracle, it works. There's a plate on one of the sides of the gate, and she steps to it, curious to see what the building is. It's not the fire watch tower obviously, but it'd be nice if it happened to be-Sansa stops the thought. There's nothing that this place could possibly be that could help. Even if there was someone inside who wanted to help her, it could be the person who wrote that creepy note that made her kick into flight mode without a second thought, or even worse, she could be outnumbered here.

  
She carefully moves her fingers to hold the lighter and attempt to read the metal plate. Blackwood Sanitorium, founded over a hundred years ago, and there are names and other dates she doesn't bother reading. It's unlikely there's going to be a phone in there and even if there is, she'd rather take her chances with the fire watch tower instead.

  
The rough map tells her that the sanitorium is west of the fire watch tower, and it almost looks like a straight line. She just has to go east judging on the positioning of the buildings on the map. From there, there's a marked path to the cable car station, from there, the shortest path between any of the marked buildings on the map. If help comes, she could meet them at the bottom of the mountain.  
//  
Sansa looks over her shoulder every so often, aware of every noise, waiting with her heart beating out of her chest to see if she's being followed, pressing herself into trees and frozen rocks, waiting to see if anything around her moves. Nothing does. It seems like every other living thing has been smart enough to get shelter from the cold, there's not even noise from caribou, owls, foxes, anything that could be out. Home, there's always something moving in the cold, something watching and waiting, but that's different. Usually, back home, she goes out into the woods and wild with Lady at her side, not hunting, but not hunted either. What she wouldn't give to have Lady with her right now.

  
She walks under fallen trees, to a wooden bridge, thankfully not a rope bridge. The gap from her side to the other isn't too far, under a minute of walking, but the drop is steep. The path continues two ways, and the closer one causes her breath to catch in her throat. THere's a cliff with absolutely no railing or sign, another steep drop, but this time there are jagged rocks at the bottom, promising death. The woods are a much more promising option, there's a path that's on an incline, and it seems like a good lead. A fence begins near a few trees, into a clear path and Sansa pauses. There have been moments since she's woken up, that feel like someone is watching, and she stays still, waiting for the feeling to pass so she can move again. She's not prey, but she also doesn't have much in the way of defending herself here. The moment's over, and she pushes herself to follow the path, hoping she can stop and rest soon. The snowy trees part to reveal it.

  
At the moment, she can't say anything is more beautiful than the dull, blinking red light at the top of the fire tower, bright against the dark gray sky. She avoids what looks like a picnic table covered in snow before she sees a set of stairs leading to higher ground. There's three sets of stairs before she actually reaches the base of the tower. There's a large deck surrounding the ladder up and she can almost imagine how lovely it would be to be here during summer, if this place ever thaws. She zips her pockets, she can't risk the lighter falling out now, and begins to climb. The ladder is slick, but she makes it to the next level just fine. The ladder doesn't go straight to the stop, she discovers, it's a series of levels and ladders, which must be nice for larger groups. There's five more levels and ladders and she wonders if whoever built this was thinking of the Seven.

  
At the top of the last level is the door inside and she fumbles with the latch with one hand. It opens and she peeks her head up, looking at floor level to see if it's a trap. There's no light, no one that she can see, and dust on the floor. There aren't prints she can see, so she pulls herself up onto the wooden floor. The door is shut after that, and she takes inventory of what's visible. There's a twin bed with storage cubbies underneath, a wood stove for heat, a gas stove for cooking next to a few cabinets, a table for two, chairs, and if she's not mistaken, a solar lighting system. This place could be mostly solar powered, but with the snow that's still coming down, she doubts it has power.

  
Not to mention broadcasting her location would be very, very stupid. Half of it is glass, the other half is wood paneling, and it seems insulated at least, despite the fact she can still see her breath. If she's sitting, no one can see her from any angle outside, and as much as she wants to rest and relax she can't. She has to find a way to communicate or get back home, a map of the surrounding area, anything. There's a broken radio set near the bed, the wires are frayed, and it looks older than her parents. Damn it.

  
There are blankets, a compass she sets aside, extra gloves, scarves, a few books, a hand-powered flashlight, extra lightbulbs, and spare pillows. The kitchen has dry packets of almost instant rice and other staples that wouldn't be too affected by the weather, but nothing fresh. Out of frustration, she moves the cabinet near the radio with a shove, this place is pointless. On top of that, whoever's out there might have already guessed she'd try to leave with the cable car or that she'd come here. There's no way out except down. Maybe she should try to get down the mountain and run. Something catches her eye by the cabinet though, it doesn't sit flush against the wall, there must be something behind it.

  
Hope blooms in her chest, it's a phone, an honest to goodness landline, and she takes it off the hook. Thankful for her parents drilling their phone numbers along with her siblings into her head, she dials Arya's number as fast as she can, and waits as she hears the line ring.


	11. Good Old Call

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: There are a few cars I can think of with 4 wheel drive. Not likely to be police cars, but this is set in Westeros, so I'm not going to nitpick on that.

Her phone rings next to her face and she picks up on the second ring without looking at caller ID. Her free hand fumbles to turn on the light next to her. She has a notepad and pen in case the cops have something new and she can take notes on it to update her family later.  
"Arya?" the voice on the other end is quiet and lined with static.  
"Sansa?" she asks. She's full of hope and fading dreams.

  
"It's me, I'm okay. Sort of. I'm on a mountain called Blackwood Pines, does that ring a bell?" Sansa asks. Arya racks her brain for anything that matches that.  
"No, no, it doesn't, I'm sorry. Where are you on the mountain? Did you see who attacked you?" Arya asks, grabbing her notepad and pen with enough force to alarm Lady.  
"No. I didn't see who grabbed me but the bleeding isn't that bad, I just need to bandage it. I'm at the fire watch tower. On the mountain, there's a cable car, and I'm close to that here. Then there's a giant lodge and an asylum, and a cabin. I went to the lodge then the cabin and there was this note, Arya," Sansa begins and lets out a breath, filled with static. Arya strains, not wanting to miss anything her sister has to say.

  
"Someone did this to me, someone took me and cut my stomach and changed my clothes and left me in the snow, and there's all this stuff that doesn't line up. There was an article on Hannah and Beth Washington, these twins who went missing on this mountain, faded police tape, there's fresh food in some places but no people, and a ton of dust, and whoever did this left me a note at the cabin. They were waiting for me and were supposed to be back at 3am, and I ran to the fire watch tower," Sansa tells her. It sounds crazy, she knows how crazy it all sounds leaving her lips, and Arya makes a frustrated noise.

  
"Can I please hang up on you? There are two detectives on your case and I want them looking into all of this, and I can call you back, in just a minute, please," Arya promises and she waits. Sansa lets out another sigh, slow and measured.

  
"Okay. Get them to your apartment and work it from there. Is Lady with you? If you trust those two then great, but I know Cersei has contacts in the police, you need to be careful. She could be behind this," Sansa says. Before she woke up today, she wouldn't have guessed Cersei was quite capable of trying to have her killed, but a lot has happened since she put on her favorite cocktail dress less than twelve hours ago.

  
"You're right, Lady's here, so's Nymeria, and we're gonna find you. I'll see you soon. I'll call back in under two minutes, okay? I promise, I love you," Arya says.  
"Love you too," Sansa says and it sounds like a sniffle but it could just be the static. Without a moment's hesitation, she calls the number on the card one of the detectives left. It doesn't even ring twice before it gets picked up.

  
"Tyrell," the woman answers.  
"It's Arya Stark, my sister called and I want you to come to my apartment with your stuff, I have an idea on where she is, but I don't trust your station, and it's weird that there's only two of you on a major kidnapping case. If you want to help me find her, come here, or I'll go after whoever did this myself," Arya says, all in a rush. She's not joking, she'll get the guns out of her closet, Lady will ride shotgun, and they'll find Sansa together.

  
"It is weird. This is unorthodox, but what's your address?" Margaery asks. Arya rattles it off and Margaery tells her they'll be there in a few minutes. Arya thanks her and hangs up. She redials the number that Sansa called from and looks at Lady. She could probably find Sansa by smell alone, if they can find the mountain, Lady can find Sansa.  
It doesn't even ring once before Sansa picks the phone back up, letting out a sigh of relief.

  
"They're on their way and I'm sure they'll want to talk to you when they get here. What are you up to?" Arya asks as she hears her sister let out a hiss.

  
"I found a first aid kit so I'm disinfecting and bandaging the cuts on my stomach. They're not bleeding anymore so I don't need to worry about keeping pressure on it or anything. Then I'm gonna eat whatever else is in my bag, I'm starving. And probably dehydrated as hell," Sansa says lightly. It sounds like Sansa doesn't want to scare her with the reality of how bad this is, she's the big sister, she's supposed to protect her, but Arya doesn't need to be protected from the truth of this. Arya hasn't needed anyone else's protection for a very long time now. There's a knock at the door that makes Nymeria jump off the bed and run to the door, but Lady sighs and looks at her.

  
"I think that's them at the door, but I'm gonna stay on, just need to get to the door," Arya says. Sansa makes a noise of agreement and she can hear the crinkle of a wrapper. They can work this.


	12. Just Sleep

Sansa takes inventory of everything she has, laid out in front of her. She has the rough map, the keys, a few thermal shirts, the clock, a scarf, gloves, food, the first aid kit, the lighter, the parka, a compass, and a hand-powered flashlight.

  
She regrets taking the now frozen clock from the cabin, whoever left the note will know she took it, and it didn't agree with being in her bag, the time is stuck between two and three. Sansa talks to Arya and the detectives who introduce themselves as Margaery Tyrell and Mira Scott. All she wants to do is sleep, hidden by the wooden paneling and maybe even use the bed next to her.  
"Blackwood Pines. Used to be owned by the Washington family, after their daughters went missing their son killed himself a year later on the same mountain. Their parents sold it to," Mira reads aloud.  
"The Lannisters," Margaery finishes.

  
"Wish Cersei told me she didn't like me before I started dating Joffrey," Sansa sighs. She's half-joking but a little serious too.   
"They have a few people who do their dirty work. Did you see anyone guarding Joffrey tonight or get statements from them?" Arya asks. Mira checks her notes.

  
"Yeah, we checked out a few people Joffrey mentioned at the party to confirmed his presence there, but that's not a surprise if they're on the payroll. No one saw Tyrion Lannister though, which is surprising since he's a big partier," Mira frowns.  
"Among other things," Margaery mutters.   
"He got married last month, he and his wife are on a honeymoon in Dorne. I was hoping he'd be back for this party because he scares Joffrey, but he told me he wouldn't be back till next week at the earliest. He hates Cersei and most of his family, but you didn't hear that from me," Sansa informs them.  
"There's a long list of people who were at that party and we have all of them on a list here, this is going to take a while to go through them all," Mira warns.   
"Does anyone mind if I nap for like thirty minutes? I'm tired and there's no proof I'm here. You can keep me on the line if you're worried someone will find me, but I barricaded the door that goes out to the deck and covered the only entrance with heavy furniture," Sansa says.   
"We're gonna be at this for a while, sleep wouldn't hurt," Margaery shrugs.

Arya nods, Sansa can't help them find her if she's asleep when they get there. Sansa grabs one of the pillows and sleeps under spare blankets with her parka and boots on. It's an uneasy sleep, but at least she didn't fall asleep outside.


End file.
